Читать книгу Latin Lovers: Italian Playboys - India Grey, Kate Hardy - Страница 16

NINA had not long returned to her bedroom when she heard her mobile buzzing from inside her bag on the floor. She lifted it out and stiffened when she saw her sister’s name flashing on the screen. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she cupped her mouth around the phone and answered it warily. ‘Is that you?’

‘Of course it’s me,’ Nadia trilled. ‘How soon can you send me the money? I’m in a bit of bother with some bills.’

Nina clenched her teeth. ‘What about your boyfriend? Isn’t he turning out to be the dream ticket you thought he’d be?’

‘Cut it with the sarcasm, Nina. We had an agreement, remember? If you don’t follow through I will come and collect Georgia and begin the adoption process and you will never see her again. It’s your choice. You can phone bank the money to me right now or you know what will happen. Don’t forget, I only have to make one little phone call to that new husband of yours and your secret will be out.’

Nina knew she was caught in an impossible situation. It was too late for explanations to Marc about who she really was. How would he deal with the news of her deception so soon after tying himself to her in order to give Georgia her father’s name?

‘How did the wedding go, by the way?’ Nadia asked with a hint of mockery. ‘Was it everything you dreamed of?’

‘You know it wasn’t,’ Nina bit out. ‘I felt like a complete fraud the whole time.’

Nadia laughed. ‘But not for wearing white, darling. You’re one of the few brides entitled to wear virginal white. What a pity your husband doesn’t fancy you. I bet I could get him into my bed if the tables were turned.’

Something in her sister’s tone irked Nina enough to respond. ‘Actually, he does fancy me.’

Nadia’s mocking chuckle grated on Nina’s nerves. ‘Only because he thinks you’re me. If you were acting in your own personality he wouldn’t take a second look. You’re too boring.’

Nina held on to her temper with an effort. ‘I don’t think it’s such a good idea for you to call me. If someone other than me picks up my phone—’

‘I’m going to keep calling you until the money is in my account,’ Nadia threatened. ‘And if I don’t get you on this phone I’ll try the land line.’

Nina let out a sigh of resignation. ‘All right, I’ll do it. I will transfer the money.’

‘Atta girl,’ Nadia cooed. ‘I knew you’d see sense in the end. Ciao!’

Nina waited until her fingers had stopped shaking before pressing in the necessary digits to process the transaction. Once it was done she did her best to settle for the night but she found it impossible to relax enough to get to sleep. But, strangely enough, it wasn’t the money and what she had just done with it that was keeping her awake. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get the feel of Marc’s mouth out of her mind, the way his tongue had darted with male urgency into the soft recesses of her mouth, making a mockery of every single kiss she’d ever had bestowed upon her in the past.

Marc didn’t kiss tentatively or even in an exploratory manner. He kissed with ferocious intent, setting her blood instantly alight. She could still feel the pounding of it as it ran through her veins, making her heart skip as if it just couldn’t keep up with the pace of her pulse.

It was impossible to ignore her growing awareness of him, the way he made her feel when he so much as looked at her with the dark censure of his eyes. She felt her skin rise in reaction every time, the soft hairs at the back of her neck standing to attention as if waiting for his hand to reach out and touch her there.

She couldn’t believe her own foolishness. She had fallen in love with a man who had nothing but hatred for her. Even if he found out the truth about who she really was, she knew he would never forgive her for deceiving him. How could he? She wasn’t Georgia’s mother. She could not give him what he wanted because what he wanted wasn’t hers to give.

She gave the pillow another frustrated thump before flopping back down. This was hopeless. What she needed was exercise and plenty of it. She glanced at the bedside clock and grimaced when she saw it was well past midnight. Too late for a walk around the block. Then she thought about the gym and pool downstairs, and her legs were already over the side of the bed when she hesitated.

Could she risk it?

What if Marc heard her?

She rummaged for her faded bathing suit before she could change her mind. A long swim in the heated lap pool was just what she needed. It was a huge house, and besides, Marc was probably already deeply asleep.

She didn’t bother with turning on the lights; instead she put the baby monitor remote on top of her towel on one of the comfortable-looking loungers and slipped into the warm silvery moonlit water.

Her tense muscles began to unfurl as the water held her in its liquid embrace, the slip and slap of the water against the sides of the pool the only sound as she carved her way through length after length.

She stopped to re-tie her loosened hair and, blinking the water out of her eyes, looked up to see a pair of very male tanned legs standing on the pool deck. She slowly lifted her head and locked gazes with Marc.

He stood looking down at her for a long moment while the silence crawled around them.

‘What’s wrong, Nina?’ he asked. ‘Are you finding it difficult to get to sleep alone?’

She tilted her chin at him. ‘No, are you?’

His eyes dipped to where the water was lapping against her breasts and she felt a shiver of reaction pass through her as if he had just brushed her there with his fingers. She felt her nipples begin to push against the worn Lycra of her bathing suit, the bare skin of her arms and legs prickling in awareness. She tried not to stare at his lean tanned body but it was incredibly difficult to ignore the flat plane of his stomach, the rippling muscles of his abdomen and the dark trail of hair that disappeared into his black shorts.

She craned her neck to maintain eye-contact, her stomach giving a little startled moth-like flutter when he began to lower himself into the water.

‘W-what are you doing?’ She shrank away.

‘What do you think I am doing?’ he asked.

She turned to get out but her foot slipped on the steps and she went under instead. She felt Marc’s hands on her waist as he steadied her, his body so close behind her she could feel every ridge and plane as she came upright.

The air she desperately needed in order to take her next breath stopped somewhere in the middle of her throat as he slowly turned her around so she was facing him. She could feel the magnetic pull of his body, drawing her closer and closer, even as the rational part of her brain insisted she step out of his hold. His fingers spanning her waist tightened fractionally, and one of his hard muscled thighs came between her trembling ones.

‘I don’t think this is such a good idea,’ she said, hoping he wouldn’t notice the nervous up and down movement of her throat.

‘What is not a good idea?’ he asked, his eyes burning into hers.

‘Th-think of what it could cost you …’ Her eyes skittered away from his as she felt his hard thigh press even closer.

His hands slid upwards from her waist to hold her shoulders so he could secure her shifting gaze, his voice low and deep as if it had been dragged across gravel. ‘Do you think I give a damn about the money?’

She moistened her lips and then wished she hadn’t when his gaze dipped to her mouth and lingered there.

‘It’s a l-lot of money … and if it was doubled …’ She stared at the line of his mouth, wondering if he was going to allow himself to kiss her. Just one kiss. That wouldn’t be breaking his vow to keep the marriage unconsummated, would it?

His head came down slowly, his mouth stopping a mere breath away from the tingling surface of hers. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she felt herself rock towards him, her body seeking the hard warmth of his like a small iron filing did a too-powerful magnet.

At the first touch of his lips on hers heat licked like a hot tongue of flame, igniting her senses into a blazing roaring fire of need. He plundered her mouth, sending her head snapping back as his tongue thrust determinedly into her moist warmth, his arms pulling her into him where his body pulsed and throbbed.

Her hands went around his neck, her fingers plunging into the thickness of his hair, her breasts tight against his chest, their aching points nothing to the storm that had just erupted between her thighs. She could feel the dampness of need he’d awakened, the silk of sensual desire that called out for him with silent but fragrant pleas.

His hands came to her breasts, shaping them through the worn fabric, his warm palms covering her possessively, his mouth still determined on hers. He pushed the shoulder straps aside and uncovered her, the roughened edge of his fingertips running over her nipples until she ached to feel the rasp of his tongue there as well.

As if she had spoken her need out loud, he lifted his mouth off hers and bent his head to her exposed breasts, moving his mouth and tongue in tightening circles until she became unsteady on her feet.

He came back to her mouth, taking it with renewed pressure as if in tune with the fire of need he was fighting to control.

Her hands slipped down to his waist, her inexpert fingers skating over his shorts where they were distended, his erection reaching towards her, as if seeking her feathering touch.

He groaned into her mouth as she shaped him, and again, even more deeply, when her fingers slipped inside to where he pulsed with increasing urgency.

He tore his mouth off hers and stared down at her, his dark eyes burning with unrelieved need, his chest rising and falling against hers as he struggled to rein in his galloping breath.

‘This is exactly what you planned, is it not?’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘You wanted to make me eat my words, every one of them.’

‘No!’ Her hands fell away from his body with a little splash. ‘No, of course not.’

He gave a rough grunt of derision. ‘It’s another of your tricks. You like to play the innocent now and again to put me off the scent of your real motives.’ He dropped his hold and stepped back from her, his eyes still scorching her with contempt.

‘Marc … I—’

‘I know what you are up to.’ He launched himself out of the pool and turned around to glare down at her. ‘You will not rest until you have me begging. That is what you want, isn’t it, Nina? Your final triumph in the face of Andre’s rejection would be to have his older brother on his knees, offering you anything you want in exchange for your body. That is why you did not ask for payment, isn’t it? To make me think you were not after money when in fact you are after so much more.’

‘But I’m not after—’

‘Get out of my sight,’ he barked at her. ‘Take your lies and your deceptive little games out of my damn sight!’

Nina got out of the pool with quiet dignity, her sense of pride refusing to allow him to intimidate her with his fury. She could tell he was angrier with himself than with her. Angry that he wanted her in spite of all he’d said to the contrary. But she felt sure this wasn’t just about the money, it was about pride—his pride.

‘You can’t order me about like that,’ she said, standing in front of him. ‘I won’t allow you to.’

Something moved behind his eyes as he stepped towards her again. ‘You will not allow me to?’ he asked with a curl of his lip.

‘No,’ she said, holding his gaze. ‘I won’t allow you to speak to me in such a way.’

He drew himself up to his full height, his mouth tightening as he looked down at her. ‘Tell me, Nina, how are you going to stop me?’

She moistened her lips, her stomach giving a tiny quiver at the fiery intensity of his gaze. ‘I’ll think of something.’

He threw his head back and laughed.

Nina pursed her lips and frowned at him. ‘You have appalling manners. I suppose it comes from having so much money. You think you can get people to do what you want by writing a cheque or issuing autocratic demands.’

‘Well, well, well,’ he drawled. ‘Look at the pretty little pot telling off the kettle for being black.’

‘You know what your trouble is, Marc?’ she said, incensed by his attitude. ‘You don’t like yourself. You keep blaming me for your brother’s death but I get this distinct impression that you actually blame yourself. I might be a convenient scapegoat but I will not have you browbeat me to appease your own sense of inadequacy.’

It became instantly obvious to Nina that she’d hit him on a particularly raw nerve. She saw it in the sudden flare of anger in his black eyes and in the tight clench of his hands as he held them by his sides as if he didn’t trust himself not to use them against her.

He didn’t speak for a long time but his silence was more menacing than any blistering statement could be, she thought as she stood before him defiantly.

‘Tell me something, Nina.’ He tipped up her chin with one long determined finger. ‘Tell me why you fell in love with my brother.’

She froze at his words, her eyes flaring in panic, her heart ramming against her ribcage as she did her best to hold his hard penetrating look.

‘You did love him, did you not?’ he asked when she didn’t answer.

Nina lowered her gaze to concentrate on the beads of moisture still clinging to the strong column of his neck. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him yet another lie.

‘No,’ she said softly. ‘I didn’t love him.’

Marc’s dark eyes narrowed dangerously as her gaze came back to his. ‘You callous bitch. You callous little money-hungry bitch.’

She closed her eyes to block out his fury. ‘Look at me!’ He grasped her arms roughly and gave her a little shake.

Her eyes sprang open in alarm, her stomach twisting with despair at the hatred shining in his.

‘You destroyed his life!’ His fingers bit into her arms. ‘You hunted him down and destroyed him for what? For what?’ he repeated bitterly.

‘Marc, I need to tell you—’ she began.

‘I do not want to hear anything you have to say,’ he snapped, cutting her off.

‘Marc, please.’ Her eyes misted over and her tone became pleading. ‘You don’t understand—’

‘I understand all right. I understand that you were not happy that Andre left you stranded without money. That is why you twisted the knife by threatening to have Georgia adopted, was it not?’ He gave her a disgusted look. ‘You never had any intention of giving her up. You were just playing a game to get as much money as you could.’

‘I have never wanted money from—’

‘Do not lie to me!’ he shouted. ‘You have played this for all you are worth. Well, I will tell you something, Nina.’ He lowered his voice but it was no less threatening. ‘You can have your money. All of it. I will double your allowance as of tomorrow.’

She blinked up at him in confusion. ‘But—’

‘I have changed my mind about our marriage,’ he said. ‘I’ve decided we will no longer adhere to the rules I set down.’

‘You can’t mean that!’

He smiled a chilling smile. ‘Why so worried, cara? You slept with my brother without loving him. Sleeping with me will not be beyond your capabilities, I’m sure.’

‘I don’t want to sleep with you!’ She wrenched herself out of his hold and stood glaring at him, rubbing her arms where his fingers had been.

‘I think we could more or less say I have paid dearly for the privilege,’ he pointed out ruthlessly.

‘I am not for sale,’ she said. ‘I don’t care how much money you throw at my feet. I will not be bought.’

‘You have been bought, Nina,’ he said. ‘You have already pocketed one instalment.’

‘I don’t want your money, Marc,’ she insisted. ‘I never wanted it.’

She could tell from his expression that he didn’t believe her. His mouth was tight with cynicism and his eyes diamond-hard as they tethered hers.

‘If you did not want it then why is it no longer in your account?’ he asked.

Nina’s eyes flared in anger. ‘You checked?’

He gave a single nod, his expression still unyielding.

‘You had no right to do that!’ Nina could feel the panic beating like an out of time drum in her chest. If Marc was watching her so closely it wouldn’t take him long to find out the truth. She’d only transferred the money less than an hour or two ago. What if he orchestrated a paper trail of her account to see where the money had been deposited?

‘You keep saying you do not want money but what is it you do want, Nina?’ Marc said, breaking the humming silence.

She couldn’t answer. How could she tell him what she really wanted? She wanted him. She wanted him to make her feel alive as a woman. She wanted him to make her feel desirable, irresistible and precious. She wanted to feel him in the throes of uncontrollable passion for her, not for who she was pretending to be, but for her—Nina.

She held her breath as his hands ran down her arms to encircle her wrists.

‘Is this what you really want, Nina?’ he asked, tugging her up against him. ‘Is this what you crave more than money, the thing that I too crave until I cannot think straight for my need of you?’

She moistened her lips with her tongue, her heart doing a fluttery dance in her chest when she saw the way his eyes glittered with purpose.

His head came down, the heat from his mouth storming its way into hers, lighting a fire within her that refused to be banked down. She felt it crawling up her legs to pool in between her thighs, the heavy pulse of her desire for him only fanning the flames even further.

His tongue circled hers sensuously, the thrust and stab movements inciting her responses in a way she had not thought possible. Her teeth nipped at his bottom lip, her tongue delved and her hands clung where they could to hold him to her. She heard him groan, a rough low growl of male primal need that made her feel incredibly feminine and vulnerable and yet strangely powerful at the same time.

She felt herself being carried along on a tide of need so strong she had no way of resisting even if she had wanted to. This scorching physical chemistry had been crackling between them from the very first day and it seemed that, in spite of Marc’s determination to resist her, it was becoming clear he was no longer able to do so. The evidence of his desire for her was breathtakingly unmistakable; she could feel his hard male body pressed tightly against her softer one, his mouth working its magic on hers until she was like warmed honey in his arms.

She felt his hands at her bathing suit straps where they had slipped from her shoulders, and then the rush of air as he pulled the material from her like a sloughed skin. Her legs quivered as she stepped out of the pool of wet fabric at her feet, her mouth still locked with his, her heart thudding with the hectic pace of her fevered blood as he pressed her to the nearest cushioned lounger.

He came down on top of her heavily, his legs entrapping hers, his solid weight a welcome burden. She began to claw at his shorts but he shoved her hand away as he dealt with them himself. She gave a breathless gasp of anticipation when she felt him against her, the length and satin strength of him searching for the entry of her body with a desperation she could feel echoing deep within her.

He drove forward with a deep guttural groan which drowned out the sound of her bitten-off cry as he tore through her tender untried flesh. She sucked in a breath and tried not to cry out again as he thrust deeply, but her body resented the intrusion and made it impossible for her to hold back the sound of her discomfort. She gave one short sharp cry, biting down on her lip as soon as it escaped, but it was too late.

Marc stilled his movements and, easing his weight off her, looked down at her, his frown almost closing the space between his dark-as-night eyes.

Tears sprang to her eyes and her teeth sank even further into her bottom lip.

‘Cristo,’ he groaned and rolled off her in one movement.

Nina closed her eyes, her limbs suddenly feeling cold without the warmth of his. ‘Nina … I—’

‘Please don’t say anything.’ She scrambled to her feet without looking at him and reached for her towel.

‘I am assuming from your reaction that you had rather a difficult delivery with Georgia,’ he said, his voice flat and unemotional.

She wound the towel around her body without looking his way.

‘Nina?’

‘I don’t want to talk about it.’

‘We have to talk, whether you like it or not. I need to know.’

‘What do you need to know?’ She turned on him. ‘Do you want to hear how Georgia was born after fifteen hours of labour without her father present? How her father refused to acknowledge her existence? Is that what you want to know?’

Marc stared at her, all of his carefully rehearsed accusations fading away.

‘You have no right to cast judgement,’ she continued. ‘Do you have any idea of what it’s like to be pregnant and alone?

Do you?’

He drew in a breath and let it out on a sigh. ‘No, I do not. You are right. I have no right to judge.’

‘Georgia needed a father and my … I mean I needed someone to help me bring her into the world, but your brother wasn’t interested.’

‘He had not planned on having a child with you.’

‘So what?’ she asked. ‘Whatever the motive when a child is conceived, it’s up to both of the parents to jointly see to its welfare. Besides, accidents can happen.’ She gave him a pointed look and added, ‘I didn’t happen to see you put on a condom just now.’

‘I did not … you know …’ He let his words trail off, a dull flush riding over his cheeks.

She raised her brows. ‘Surely you know better than that? Pre-ejaculatory fluid contains thousands of sperm. You might very well be in exactly the same position as your brother.’

‘If I am, I am prepared to meet my responsibilities. If we have conceived a child I will not walk away.’

‘Even though you loathe me and can barely stand to look at me?’

He met her gaze without flinching. ‘I will put my personal feelings aside if need be.’

Nina felt her heart tighten painfully at his words. He was so unlike his brother, who’d had his fun and had walked away without a backward glance. She knew Marc would stand by his word, even if it cost him dearly. How she wished she could tell him the truth!

She turned away before he could see the longing in her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. I have no plans to get pregnant.’

‘If it were to happen.’ He raked a hand through his hair as he considered the prospect. ‘You will tell me?’

She met his eyes for a brief moment. ‘I would owe you that at the very least.’

His eyes fell away from hers first. ‘I will check on Georgia. You should go to bed; you look … exhausted.’

She opened her mouth to deny it but stopped as she realised it was true. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly and moved towards the door.

‘Nina?’

His voice stopped her hand from turning the handle and she slowly turned around to face him. ‘Yes?’

His eyes didn’t quite meet hers. ‘I am sorry.’

Her hand on the doorknob fell away. ‘For what?’

He dragged his gaze up to hers with an effort. ‘I wish I had known the truth about Georgia’s birth.’

She gave him a rueful little grimace and reached for the doorknob again. ‘I wish you had, too. You can’t imagine how much.’

Marc opened his mouth to call her back but the door closed on her exit, locking him inside with his guilt.